The Enigma Alchemist
by TheFerryman'sDaughter
Summary: An OC fic. Eventually almost all characters will make an appearance. A woman gets caught up in more than she bargains for when she has a confrontation with Scar. Begins early in the anime. Eventual ScarxOC.
1. Seal One

So here we go! We begin our story soon after Ed's (re)appointment to the military and before he gets his first assignment, which is why Winry is still in town. Where will we end up after my twisted mind has finished? We'll have to see!

* * *

Seal One 

"That is the last time I come to see them!" huffed Winry as she lugged her suitcase to the train station in Central. "Let's see how Ed likes it when I just up and disappear."

Winry fumed as she stomped her way down the streets in the dark. The late hour hadn't deterred her; if it were possible it made her more cross. The sun had set hours ago, but she hadn't seen Ed or Al since breakfast. Receiving Al's message that he and his brother wouldn't be back until very late had been the last straw. Winry had packed up and decided to catch the last train to Risenbul. Tramping through the Central streets, she was too furious to see the strange man following her.

When she arrived at the train station, only a few people flitted about. She quickly bought her ticket and, after double-checking the Arrivals and Departures board, set off for platform four. But before she could get out of the main lobby, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Thinking it was Al, she said as she turned, "Look, I'm not going back..." She abruptly trailed off, realizing that the tall man who had accosted her was definitely NOT Al.

The man holding her shoulder sported grayish hair, and his eyes were mostly hidden by blue-tinted sunglasses. But what caught Winry's eyes was the crisscrossed scar on the man's face. She clutched her suitcase harder, and vowed to keep her wrench in her pocket from now on for the rest of her life instead of packing it in the suitcase. "W-who are you?" she stuttered aloud.

The man ignored her question. "You know that young State Alchemist." It wasn't a query. He spoke harshly, but quietly. The arrival of a train had brought more people into the station, and while most left the station, eager to get home, some were starting to notice them. One woman in particular stopped to chat with the ticketman behind the counter. The man glared at the back of the woman's head, but turned his eyes back to the blonde girl he held in front of him. Winry could feel those eyes boring into her own even through the glasses, and when she tried to laugh nervously, it squeaked out more like a mouse.

"I think you've got the wrong girl. I'm just an automail mechanic."

But the man wouldn't let up. "I saw you with the young State Alchemist yesterday." He was growing more agitated, and his grasp on her arm tightened. "What's his name?"

Winry wilted a little; she hadn't bargained on him already knowing that she knew Ed. Nonetheless, she was determined. "Why should I tell you?"

She wrenched her shoulder out of his grip, but he grabbed her wrist. With a cry, Winry tried to hit him with her suitcase. The man simply knocked it back and it fell to the tiled floor with a bang. "Let me go!" Winry cried as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.

"Leave her alone." A woman's voice rang out against their commotion. The scarred man stopped his struggle to control Winry but kept his grip on her wrist as both he and the girl looked for the source of the voice.

The woman who had stayed to talk to the man selling tickets now strode toward Winry and her captor. Winry watched the woman approach, keeping an eye on the man. His hand tightened on her wrist and she cried out in pain. The woman stopped when Winry yelled, but stayed where she was. "I said, leave her alone."

"I'm not after this girl," the man snarled. "If I wanted to kill her, I would have already. I'm looking for someone she knows."

"Well, threatening her won't get you very far," the woman remarked, green eyes glittering dangerously. Winry looked at the woman's face fearfully, and thought she saw the slightest bit of warmth from those green eyes when the woman looked back at her, but it was replaced quickly by hardness.

The man glared at his opponent carefully. Aside from the piercing eyes, there was nothing special about this woman: long black hair in a braid; a bony, crooked nose that appeared to have been broken several times; large feet in black boots. She wore plain clothes and a bag, and she looked tired—dark smudges were etched beneath her eyes. But what caught the man's attention were the small bulges at her wrists and the black gloves she wore.

The woman sized up the man with equal care. Tanned skin made the white scar on his face stand out, but the bottom of the X was hidden by sunglasses. When the man peered menacingly over the rims at her, she realized why he wore them—his eyes were a fiery red. The mark of an Ishballan.

"Final boarding call for the night express to Risenbul!" came a call from the platforms.

The announcement distracted the scarred man just long enough for the woman to get between him and his captive and break his grip on the girl's arm. She quickly pushed Winry back toward her fallen suitcase and the platforms. "Get moving, kid, can't miss your train," the woman said, still facing the man. With a shout, the man attacked the woman, trying to get to Winry.

Winry didn't need further prompting. Grabbing up her suitcase, the girl ran as fast as she could out to the train, her feet thudding against the floor. When she reached the train, the conductor ushered her onboard. "You alright, miss?" he asked gently.

Winry just nodded, panting. By the time she took a seat, the train had begun to move. Looking out the window, she could barely see the pair fighting in the lobby. Then they were out of sight.

* * *

Kindly review if you feel so inclined! I won't be able to update often, but I'll try to at least put up one chapter a week.

TheFerryman'sDaughter


	2. Seal Two

Apologies and thanks to those of you waiting for this update! Particular thanks to **Stabbity Death** and **Rishan! **Things have been crazier than I anticipated, and I've hardly had time even to finish out this chapter! But enjoy while it's here!

* * *

The woman stopped defending the platforms when she saw the train leaving, but the man no longer cared about getting the girl. Instead, he took out his anger in continuing to attack the woman who had denied him his prize. The fight, however, was a fluid dance—they were equally matched physical fighters, and both could deflect and block the other's attacks smoothly. The man selling tickets, who had been about the call the police to arrest the man, stopped and simply watched the fight in awe. 

However, the woman was more disciplined. As the fight continued, fists and legs weaving in and out, the scarred man began to wear down. While the woman kept her composure, his moves grew slower and his breathing heavier.

After she kicked him back once again, he stumbled back and stayed still, panting. "You know...I could still...kill you right now," he managed.

Laughing, the woman kept her arms raised in a defensive position. "So could I."

Suddenly, the man lunged. While she blocked the attack of his left arm, his right shot out and grabbed the strap of her bag. Red light flared, and the woman gasped in shock as her bag disintegrated into dust and its contents fell to the floor with a clunk. She stumbled back a few steps. "I could just as easily do that to your skin," the man sneered.

Narrowing her eyes, the woman stayed silent and on the defensive. An Ishballan alchemist? He must be an exile, she decided. No Ishballan tribe would allow such blasphemy to say in their village.

"Will, that certainly changes the tempo," she said. "But I know that song, too." When she slipped her fingers underneath her sleeve, blue light flared, and she produced three small knives. Before he could react, she hurled them at the man. One simply ripped the fabric of his shirt, but the other two hit home in his shoulder and side. The man yelled, pulling the knives from his skin and let them clatter on the floor.

"Stop right there!" Both the woman and the man turned to see a small military squad crowding in the lobby, handguns at the ready. The scarred man seemed to weigh his options for a moment, and the turned and ran for the windows behind him. The squad opened fire, yet not one bullet found its mark as the man crashed through the window and escaped. "Follow him!" the leader shouted, and all but one officer left on the chase. This officer spoke to the ticketman, who had come out from behind his counter.

The woman sighed, glad that no one was actually injured (except for her opponent). Kneeling down where her bag had disintegrated, she sifted through the dust and threads to find her belongings and acquisition still intact.

While she pulled her shirts and the book out of the mess, the officer and the ticketman approached. "You alright, Quinn?" the ticketman asked.

Quinn smiled and rose to her feet, clothing draped over one and book in the other hand. "Slim, you know that if my book's alright, I'm alright."

After giving the officer a thorough description of the man and bidding goodnight to Slim, Quinn headed home. Her house was part of a small training yard she ran on the northern outskirts of Central. Seeing it again filled Quinn with relief. Not only was she home, but she also intended to stay for a long while. A light was on inside—it seemed that Kali, one of her best students that she'd put in charge, was waiting for her return. Quinn unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Evening, Master West!" Kali called from the kitchen. "Julian and I are back here. We've got some coffee for you."

"Coffee sounds wonderful." Quinn smiled as she tossed her clothes into a basket. Heading into the kitchen, she found Kali and Julian seated on one side of the small table, each with a mug of coffee, and a fresh pot brewing on the counter.

"How was your trip?" Kali asked, tucking a few stray red hairs behind her ear.

"Uneventful, until a short time ago. Although I did find what I was looking for," Quinn said, setting the book _One Hundred Fifty-one Recipes for Chicken, or, How I Became a Chef_ onto the table. "With any luck, the recipes are actually real. I never was a very good cook," she added wryly. Her students chuckled, and Julian examined the book while Quinn poured herself a cup of coffee.

"So what happened earlier?" Kali asked.

Quinn sipped her mug and told them the incident with the scarred man at the train station, and how he'd been after a young girl. "He wound up getting away, though," she amended.

Kali's bright eyes were wide. "That sounds like one of the serial killers on the loose!"

"Serial killers?" Quinn asked.

"You missed out on an interesting several days," Julian remarked, leaning his wiry frame back in his chair.

"I can tell," the woman said, her voice dry. "Do catch me up."

"Well, there's been the serial killers, but one of them was arrested a couple of days ago. Some nut who called himself 'Barry the Chopper,'" Kali said, disgusted. "But who knows if he's the only one."

"That's not all," Julian said. "You remember Shou Tucker, right?"

"Ugh, how can I forget the man who made a talking chimera a couple years back?"

"He's been arrested, and executed, for using his daughter to make a chimera. Apparently he'd done the same thing with his wife with the first talking chimera he'd made."

Quinn gasped, and her two students nodded grimly. "I'm surprised the military let that go on for so long," Quinn said.

"They say they were unaware of anything."

"Right."

"They've got a new wiz kid now, too," added Kali. Quinn looked at them, puzzled. "Yeah, get this. Some thirteen-year-old passed the State Alchemy exam. They say he can do alchemy without a transmutation circle. Can you believe it? A teenager in the military!" Kali cried.

"He's the youngest one ever," Julian added.

"Well, even though you won't be teens much longer, you could still both be in the military yourselves," Quinn said. But something clicked in the woman's mind. A young State Alchemist...she remembered the scarred man saying those words to the girl he'd been threatening! She wondered if this kid knew his friend was alright.

"Well, we'd better go so you can actually get some sleep tonight, Master West," Kali was saying.

"Oh, right," Quinn said distractedly. She took her students to the front door. "So what's the name of this hotshot State Alchemist, anyway?"

Kali turned, partway out the door, and met Quinn's imperious eyes. "Edward Elric."

Kali and Julian said their goodbyes and headed down the street to their own homes. Quinn watched them go from the threshold. Tomorrow she would meet this Edward Elric.

* * *

Review if you feel so inclined! I will try to update as soon as I can. 

TheFerryman'sDaughter


	3. Seal Three

(scratches back of head) Should have gotten this to y'all much sooner...(cough)

Apologies to all and particularly **Rishan** and **Stabbity Death, **with deep thank-yous for patience!

So we pick up where we left off. I'm still kind of in introduction mode. A short chapter, but if I combined it with the next, it would have been quite long.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. But Quinn West is MINE!

* * *

Seal Three

Quinn woke the next morning, glad that she did not give lessons on Fridays. A day off after travelling so much came in handy for recovering from the cramped train rides. And today it would allow her to meet this Edward Elric.

Unfortunately, this also meant she would have to go to the military headquarters—not one of her more cherished places. While she mostly ignored the military unless one of her students wished to apply, she didn't appreciate them trying to recruit her students directly when they had so many other choices. This led to several confrontations with their recruiters and, she suspected, not the best rapport with their personnel. But she was determined.

Before she left her house, she debated whether or not to wear her gloves and metal-beaded bracelets. The gloves had simple transmutation circles stitched into the insides of the palms, and allowed her to transmute the metal beads into small knives. Small and practical. _Surely I won't need them_, she thought. _But it's best to be prepared._

Setting out for the military headquarters, Quinn admired Central's shops and cafes. _So good to be home._ Soon she arrived at the HQ. The iron gates stood open and Quinn simply passed through with several other people. Both men and women were dressed in uniform, getting ready for the day's work.

Once inside, she headed straight for the receptionist's desk. When Quinn rapped her gloved knuckles on the desk, the woman there looked up from her papers and recognized Quinn. "Ah, Miss West. How can I help you today?" she asked dryly.

Before she could respond, however, Quinn jumped as a picture of what appeared to be a newborn baby waved excitedly under her nose. The photo was too close and moved too fast for her to get a proper look. "Isn't my little Elicia just the absolute **PARAGON** of cuteness?" a man's voice squealed. Confused, Quinn turned to see a man in military uniform with short black hair and glasses that shone proudly as he displayed his child's photograph.

"Um..."

"And this isn't even the most recent! I took more just this morning..." The man trailed off as he fished more pictures out of his stuffed jacket pocket.

The receptionist rolled her eyes. "He's a new father. We're hoping this wears off after a time," she confided to Quinn.

"I see." Quinn watched as the man continued to swoon over his pictures, googly-eyed and mushy, and she stifled back a giggle. "Actually, I'm not filing complaints today," she said, returning to the receptionist's original question. "I'm just looking for someone. Is Edward Elric here today?"

The receptionist frowned. "I haven't seen him yet today," she began, but the black-haired man suddenly managed to stop oozing over his pictures.

"I'm actually headed out to find Ed. He's out looking for a friend, and I've come across a police report he'll want to hear." He tucked his child's pictures back into his pocket. "You can come with me to find him if you like."

"Makes sense to me," Quinn replied with a quick grin. Relieved by not having to hear Quinn's rages and complaints, the receptionist went back to her paperwork as the man and woman exited the building.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe I got your name," the man said apologetically.

"Quinn West," she said, offering her gloved hand. "And you?"

He shook the proffered hand. "Major Maes Hughes."

* * *

(((Hughes!)))

Ok. Hopefully I can get back to this sooner this time! Rate if it pleases you!

TheFerryman'sDaughter


	4. Seal Four

Ahem. After much anticipation, er, just plain waiting, the fourth section!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seal Four

As Hughes and Quinn passed through the gates back onto Central's streets, a male's baritone voice called out for Hughes. They both turned to find another black-haired man approaching, followed closely by a woman with short blond hair. Both were attired in the blue military uniform. "Have you seen the Elric brothers yet this morning?" the unfamiliar man asked, ignoring Quinn.

"We're going out to find them," Hughes replied.

"Well, when you find them, remind Edward to see me for his first assignment. I can't wait around all day," the man stated acidly.

"Will do," Hughes replied as the man glanced at Quinn with distant eyes, and then simply turned and walked into HQ. The blonde followed suit, and Quinn and Hughes began their quest.

"Sorry about Roy," Hughes said as they turned a corner. "He can be in a real pet sometimes."

Quinn chuckled. "I can tell. A friend of yours, then?"

"Absolutely. One of the best I've ever had." It occurred to Quinn that this man might have untold numbers of pictures of his best mate, as he did with his child. "Me and Roy Mustang go way back."

"Who was the woman with him?" she asked, trying to shift the subject before Hughes became too nostalgic.

"Oh, that was Riza Hawkeye. Best sharpshooter in the military. She tries to keep Roy in line."

"Are they involved?"

Hughes laughed. "Riza might shoot you if she heard you say that. No, they aren't. Besides, I believe military code forbids departmental relationships like that." He suddenly got a twinkle in his eye. "Although I always tell Roy he needs to find a good wife. You wouldn't happen to be single, would you? I could always set you two up on a date..."

Now it was Quinn's turn to laugh, although the sound was laced with bitterness. "Widowed," she supplied.

"Oh." Hughes winced. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Quinn paused as Hughes glanced down a street before they continued. "It was...almost two years ago. We hadn't even been married a full year when he died."

"How did it happen?" Hughes asked when she hesitated.

She raised her face to the warm sunlight peeking over the buildings. "Honestly...no one knew for sure. He was part of a team building a hotel on the other side of town when part of it collapsed and...crushed him. But no one knows what caused the collapse, and no investigation was ever commissioned."

Hughes looked like he wanted to ask more, but his eyes lighted on their quarry, who was questioning an owner of a restaurant. "There he is," Hughes said, pointing. "The kid in the red jacket, that's Ed. The armor next to him? That's his younger brother, Al."

Quinn stared at the red and black clad figure as they approached. "Isn't he a little short for a twelve-year-old?"

Before Hughes could voice a warning, the blond boy suddenly turned and rushed at Quinn, screaming, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD BE SQUASHED BY AN ANT!"

Quinn stepped back as the fuming boy swung a fist at her. Amused, she caught his wrist with the next swing and pulled him down to the ground.

"Brother, she didn't say that!" While Quinn guessed a young boy was inside, the armor was overlarge and sounded hollow as it clanked toward them. "Oh, Major Hughes!" he said as he sighted the man, who had partially hidden himself behind a pole.

Hughes peeked around. "Oh, hi, Al." He stepped up as Ed continued to smolder while Al helped him stand. Hughes made introductions with Ed still peeved. _I need to remember not to say anything about 'short' or 'small',_ Quinn thought. The boy didn't lighten his mood in the slightest until Hughes said, "I've got some information for you about your friend Winry."

"What is it?" Quinn perked up as well.

"Apparently a girl matching her description was seen last night at the train station. There was some kind of commotion then, so I'm not entirely sure what happened. You could ask questions at the station, though."

Ed was practically leaving before Hughes had finished talking, but Quinn called out. "Wait, I can spare you the trip."

He turned quickly, impatience obvious in his golden eyes until Quinn informed them of her fight at the station with an Ishballan alchemist who had threatened a girl for information.

"But where is she now?" Ed demanded.

"She boarded a train headed for Risenbul, I believe," Quinn replied. "The man escaped, though."

"Brother, we can just call Auntie Pinako to see if Winry's there," Al said excitedly.

"That's easily done," Hughes added, indicating a phone in the restaurant they were near. The brothers rushed inside, and Quinn could see Al making apologies to the owner while Ed dialed the phone furiously. If they had this reaction to their friend being missing, Quinn could only imagine what they might do if she had been kidnapped for ransom or information.

"Did the man give any reason for going after Winry, aside from getting to Ed?" Hughes asked, breaking her out of her brown study.

Quinn shook her head. "No. Just that he was looking for the young State Alchemist. He didn't even seem to know Ed's name."

Hughes frowned, watching the brothers as they appeared to relax. "An Ishballan alchemist...I have a feeling the higher-ups aren't going to like this one."

"I imagine not."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review if it pleases you! Next section will be along sometime.

TheFerryman'sDaughter


End file.
